ABSTRACT
This study explores the gendered mechanisms of fear and anxiety experienced by cisgender women and transgender individuals in public restrooms. It focuses on the material formation of gender-segregated restrooms, the way bodies are constituted within them, and the meanings and sensations that arise from them. The introduction of flush toilets and sanitation in Korean restrooms in the 1900s led citizens to internalize self-surveillance and sanitary practices, recalling the shame of being viewed through the gaze of visitors from advanced countries. In the 1990s, women's restrooms featured etiquette bells, vanity tables, and reduced visibility of cleaning workers, showing the intersection of civilization and gender. Since the late 2010s, objects have been placed in women's restrooms to shield users from intrusive gazes. However, these placements positioned women as visible objects, evoking anxiety, helplessness, and acute sensory perception. Meanwhile, transgender women and transgender men experience varying pressures related to passing and gender performance. The intersection of heterosexual male-centric and cisgender-centric structures in the experiences of transgender individuals reveals how these support each other, perpetuating the gendered arrangement of restrooms. This study calls for interventions at the level of space, gendered social relationships, and body perceptions to disrupt the heterosexual male-centric and cisgender-centric gaze.
